Swept Off
by NaomiLynn
Summary: In the sequel to Keep Your Feet, the genderbent Bonnabell Baggins and the dwarves have crossed the Misty Mountains and are making their way into Mirkwood. They face many perils, including navigating possibly the first Dwarf-Hobbit romance in Middle Earth. Technically BilboxThorin. Hold onto your hats, this one might get angsty.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello again friends! I've finally started working on a sequel to Keep Your Feet, I just couldn't wait until the next movie came out so this will be following the book/my imagination. Here's the URL of my first story, sorry I couldn't figure out how to link it! s/8847545/1/Keep-Your-Feet**

**Just as a refresher, it's a slightly gender-bent story to include more women into Tolkien's world. Bilbo (Bonnie), Dwalin, Kili, Nori, and Bofur are all female now, and I didn't change the dwarves' names because they're pretty unisex already. And "Dwalina" just didn't sound very good. There's also gooey fluffy romance in it because I love Thilbo. All credit to The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien. Enjoy!**

* * *

Beyond a stream, and following several well-worn stone steps leading up from it, there was a cozy sort of cave that was filled to the brim with dwarves.

This was no ordinary pack of roving dwarves. These dwarves were on a mission, and they had brought with them a wandering wizard and a very small hobbit. The day before, they had been dropped off nearby by some large eagles who owed a debt to the wizard, and even before that they had escaped from the clutches of the Goblin King and then the Pale Orc. These were no small feats, but the group was lead by a dwarf prince, and the hobbit was carrying a very powerful secret.

Not that she was even aware of this. The hobbit, Bonnabell Baggins, was carrying a gold ring in her pocket that, as far as she knew, merely turned the wearer invisible. She had not told the rest of the company about it, though the wizard Gandalf had guessed by now that she was hiding something. When the group had gotten all settled for the night, they had begged Bonnie to tell them how she had escaped the tunnels of the Misty Mountains.

She recounted her tale as accurately as she could, while leaving out the bit where she found the ring. Bonnie wasn't sure why she didn't tell them, but there was something about the ring that she wanted to keep to herself and never share with anyone. So she told them that she encountered Gollum, and when he had grown angry and chased her she simply hid from him and escaped. Gandalf had been particularly curious as to how she had managed it, but she merely talked up her sneaking and burgling skills and that was the end of it.

Bonnie also had another, less-secret, secret. She was having an affair with Thorin Oakenshield.

Well, perhaps the word _affair _was a bit strong. The night before, he had kissed her and said lovely things about being with her. But nothing had happened since, and Bonnie was much too nervous to bring it up again. She had never done anything quite like this with anyone before. In the Shire, she was one of the prettier hobbits and had had a few suitors, but not nearly as many as the beautiful Lily Brown. Lily was very tall for a hobbit-lady, and she was looked upon as exotic, and a novelty by the hobbit lads. She had beautiful golden ringlets like Bonnie, but she grew them out and wore them in pigtails and flirted an astounding amount. Bonnie had been more shy, and was too blushing and stammering to do anything but shut her door on the lads.

And just thinking of Thorin now made her blush and stammer a terrible amount. She was sure that the only reason things had even progressed _this_ far was because Thorin was almost the exact opposite of a little hobbit fellow from across the Water. He was an exiled prince who had seen more battles than Bonnie wanted to imagine, and he took what he wanted, unlike those daft hobbit-boys. Her head spun when she thought about someone like him wanting someone like her. At first she felt ashamed to think what the Shirefolk would ever say if they knew, but then she simply laughed. What a sight they would make, strolling through the market on a sunny day with huge hammers strapped to their backs, armor shining in the sunlight and buying some nice tomatoes from Farmer Cotton.

But of course he would never go to the Shire again, she thought, rousing herself from the daydream. The entire point of the mission was to regain his throne in Erebor, and he really didn't belong anywhere else. This would have made her sad at the beginning of the journey, because she didn't belong anywhere else but Bag End. But now she felt oddly excited thinking about the journey ahead, and seeing Erebor. She hadn't longed for her home and her books and tea in quite some time, and she was proud of that.

Thorin hadn't spoken to her about what had happened the night before. After she had told the group her story of escaping, she wasn't sure what else to do but go back to sleeping by Fili and Kili. Thorin needed to get his rest anyway, she thought, so that he might heal quicker.

They spent the morning in the cave, eating a stew that Oin had managed to cook with their sparse ingredients. Luckily Bombur was proving to be very good at foraging, and Fili and Kili had gone out early and shot a few rabbits.

"I always meant to see you safely through the mountains, and now by good luck and management I have done it," Gandalf said, accepting a bowl from Ori. "We are a great deal further east than I had meant to come with you, for after all I have business elsewhere. I may look in on you again before it is over, but I have some pressing matters to attend to."

The dwarves groaned and were most distressed, and Bonnie wept. She had not known at _all _that Gandalf had been planning on leaving. It distressed her most of all, because at times she felt like Gandalf had been the only adult in their company and they were just a bunch of hapless children being herded east under his watchful eyes.

"I can stay with you perhaps a day or two more, and help with your current condition," he continued. "You have no provisions or ponies and you don't know where you are. Now, I can help you there. You are a few miles north of the path we meant to take, and very few people live in these parts. But I know _somebody _who lives not far from here that we must go and find."

After that they stopped pleading with him to stay. They all rested through the afternoon, and had gone out to bathe in the shallow river outside the cave. Bonnie pleaded that the ladies go wash around a bend so that they would be out of sight of the others. Dwalin grumbled and rolled her eyes but they all went with her. Even in their company Bonnie felt exposed and embarrassed, and she was surely the chubbiest and palest of them all. But she was gratified to see that she was the smoothest, as the dwarf-ladies had crisscrossing scars and obscene amounts of hair in surprising places.

When they came back, Bonnie found out that dwarf-men are not at all embarrassed about how naked they may or may not be. She quickly covered her eyes and scurried into the cave, leaving the rest of the dwarves laughing raucously behind her.

She nearly ran headlong into Thorin, who had just returned from the river. He was still shirtless, making Bonnie even more flustered than she had been before. His barrel chest was still covered in bandages. "Don't hurt yourself," he said, smirking and steadying her.

She lowered her eyes. "You should be the one worrying about that," she mumbled. "H-how are your wounds faring? Do you feel any better?"

He stretched, and Bonnie had to drag her eyes back up to his face. "Yes, thank you. That salve seems to have done the trick, it should be healed up before long." Before they could say anything else, the rest of the dwarves came into the cave. They stepped quickly away from each other, Bonnie's face glowing red.


	2. Chapter 2

Once they were all warm and dry in the sun, they set off through the long green grass. "Who is this somebody you mentioned?" Bonnie asked Gandalf as they walked.

"She is a very great person – you all must be very polite when I introduce you. I think I shall do it two by two, slowly, and you _must _not annoy her or heaven knows what will happen. She is kind enough if humored, but I must warn you that she gets angry easily."

This was making Bonnie very nervous. "I'm not sure I like the sound of this, wizard," Thorin growled, appearing on Gandalf's other side. "Couldn't you have found us someone a bit more even-tempered?"

"No I could not!" he said crossly. "And if you must know, her name is Ursa, and she is a skin-changer."

"What, you mean a fur trapper?" Bonnie said.

Gandalf stopped. "Good gracious, no, no, _no_. Don't be a fool, Miss Baggins, if you can help it; and in the name of all wonder don't mention those words again. She changes her skin. Sometimes she is a bear, sometimes she is a woman. She is not the sort of person to ask questions of. She lives in a great wooden house with cattle and horses. They work for her and talk to her. She doesn't eat them, nor does she hunt wild animals."

This gave Bonnie plenty to think about, and so she stopped asking questions. They walked for a very long time, up and down hills, as the day grew hotter. Bonnie started lagging behind again, drenched in sweat. Her curls were growing exponentially in size from the humidity. In the middle of the day they started noticing flowers growing in great patches, all the same kind together as if someone had planted them there on purpose. They heard a buzzing and droning in the air, and found that bees were everywhere.

"We are getting near," Gandalf said. "This is the edge of her bee-pastures." After a while they came to a line of large oak trees, and he said, "You had all better wait here. When I call, you may begin to follow after me –but only in pairs, mind you, and with about five minutes between each pair. Bombur is the fattest and is enough for two, so he should come alone. Come along, Bonnabell, there is a gate round this way." So he went off through the trees, with a frightened, worn-out hobbit following after.

Everything on this property seemed so huge to Bonnie, even huger than anything in the village of Bree, which was inhabited by Men near the Shire. The gate was high and broad, almost higher than Gandalf's pointy hat, and beyond this she could see gardens and cottages with low thatched roofs, and many stables and barns. They pushed their way through the creaking gate and walked up a paved pathway towards the main house. Some very well-groomed horses trotted towards them and looked at them intently. Bonnie felt like there was something oddly intelligent in their eyes, and then they galloped off towards the buildings.

"They have gone to tell her that strangers have arrived," Gandalf said. "You must leave the talking to me, Bonnabell." Bonnie gulped. She wasn't sure she liked the idea of talking horses and meeting this strange bear-woman. She fervently wished that Gandalf hadn't chosen to take her first; perhaps it was because she was the smallest and least-offensive of the company. She would have felt a good deal safer coming in last, behind Bombur.

Soon they reached a courtyard outside of a great wooden house. In the middle was a great oak trunk lying on the ground, with many chopped-off branches scattered around it. Standing amongst them was a massive woman leaning on an axe. She was taller than Gandalf and was built powerfully, but curvy. She had wild, curly black hair down to her shoulders and heavy brows. She wore a wool tunic down to her knees, and her arms and legs were bare and had knotted muscles. The horses were standing next to her, nosing her shoulder.

"There they are!" she bellowed. "They don't look dangerous, you can be off." She waved the horses away with one giant hand. She put down her axe and came forward. "Who are you and what do you want?"

"I am Gandalf, and this is Miss Baggins."

"Never heard of you," she growled. "And what is this little Baggins? Have you brought a child here?" She bent over and peered at Bonnie with dark brown eyes. Bonnie's knees were knocking together.  
"She is a _hobbit_, and a very respectable one from a good family. And I am a wizard, and I have heard of you though you have not heard of me. Perhaps you have heard of Radagast the Brown, my cousin? He lives near southern Mirkwood."

"Yes, not a bad fellow," she said, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. "I used to see him now and again. Now what do you want?"

"To tell you the truth, we have lost our luggage and all our ponies. We have nearly lost ourselves, and we are in need of help. We had a bad time with the goblins in the mountains."

Her eyes flashed. "Goblins you say? What did you go near them for?"

"We did not mean to. They surprised us in the night – but it is a long tale."

"Then you had better come in and tell me the rest of it," she said, and lead them through a tall doorway in the courtyard that opened into the house. They passed through a wide hall with a fireplace and onto a verandah with great wooden benches and surrounded by flowers. There they sat, with Bonnie's legs dangling off, and continued their story.


	3. Chapter 3

Gandalf told the story very cleverly, each time adding more and more people into the story. Ursa would get confused and say, "A few of you? But I only see two here." And then two more dwarves would come around the bend. Thorin and Dori were the first to come, and Ursa had luckily heard of Thorin and thought him to be respectable and let them continue. Gandalf would say that _several _of them were attacked by goblins, and then two more dwarves would come around. This continued until he reached the end of the tale and Bifur, Bofur, and Bombur all came up the path. Bombur had been angry at being left behind and had refused to wait five minutes.

Bonnie realized how clever Gandalf had been. Instead of surprising their unsuspecting host with a company of fifteen all at once, he had told the story in a way to keep her so interested that she wouldn't turn them away.

When he had finally finished, Ursa said, "A very good tale! You could be making it up, but all the same you deserve a good supper for it. Let's have something to eat." The dwarves practically cheered. They all went back inside, and she led them through the house into a large dining room. The table came up to Bonnie's chin, and she almost had to climb her way onto one of the great wooden chairs. The dwarves all looked very comical sitting in the chairs, even Thorin. He sat at the end of the table, holding himself like a king and yet his feet didn't even touch the ground.

Once they were all seated, Bonnie heard a bleating and a clip-clop of hooves and several sheep made their way into the room. They all had trays on their back laden with food, and Ursa took the trays one at a time and set them out on the table. It was the best meal they had since the Homely House, and soon they were all full and relaxed. Ursa told them many stories of the hills around her home, and fighting the goblins in the mountains, and the evils of Mirkwood. She even had a few tales of run-ins with dwarves, before the dragon attack. She spent most of the meal exchanging words with Thorin and Gloin, who she sat between. They seemed greatly taken with her and her adventures, and after several drinks were red-faced and smiling. Bonnie watched sullenly from across the table, feeling worse and worse. Nobody noticed her, not even Fili or Kili, who were too busy playing with the sheep next to the table.

"I find I get along with dwarves much better than elves," Ursa was saying loudly, drinking from a large goblet of wine. "There's something more trustworthy about a hard worker who isn't afraid of toil or danger. And I like a man with hair on his chin and his chest, however short he may be." She winked at Thorin. "Or she," she added, nodding to Dwalin who had by far the thickest whiskers of the dwarf-women. The dwarves grinned and raised their glasses.

"I'm glad to hear that," Thorin said, smiling. "I do not look favorably on the elves."

"Ah, you wouldn't, would you? Well, Gandalf tells me your time in Rivendell turned out fine in the end, and for that you must be grateful." Ursa took another swig of wine and then focused on Bonnie. "But _you _aren't a dwarf, are you, little miss?"

Bonnie slid down in her seat. "N-no, no, I am a hobbit from the Shire."

"And what _is _a hobbit? You're almost the size of a dwarf, and yet you have no whiskers."

"We are very r-respectable folk!" she said indignantly. "We wear our whiskers on our feet if you must know." An embarrassed flush was creeping up her neck.

"And what is your part in this company? You look too small to be a good fighter. Are you a tracker?"

"She is the burglar," Thorin said quietly. Bonnie refused to look at him, and instead tried valiantly to stare down Ursa.

"Oh, well that is interesting," Ursa said. "And are you good at burgling?"

"She was a bit hapless at first…" Dwalin began, but Bonnie interrupted.

"Look, I know I'm not a fighter or a tracker and that you all find me useless, but _you _all asked _me _to come along with you. And I should think that if you dragged a hobbit out of their hole and on a nasty adventure like you have done to me, we can be a great deal tougher than any dwarf you might meet. I have not needed shoes for the entire journey and that's more than can be said for any of _you. _So perhaps you should not be the ones laughing!" And she got down from her chair and stormed out of the room.

She knew she was acting like a petulant child, but if they were going to treat her like one she might as well act like one, she thought. Maybe they ought to just replace her with Ursa and be done with it. After all, a great woman who could change into a bear should be a bit more useful in fighting a dragon.

She sat down heavily on one of the wooden benches in the hallway. A few long-bodied dogs were there, looking at her inquisitively. "Go on back to your bear master," Bonnie said glumly. "She's tough. And she's got lots of hair, I think dwarves like that kind of thing." The dogs glanced sidelong at each other, and then trotted over to Bonnie and put their heads on her lap. She sighed and scratched their ears.

Bofur's hat preceded her as she popped her head into the hallway. "Everything alright? You threw quite a tantrum in there." She sat down next to Bonnie. "Is there something else bothering you?"

Bonnie sighed. "I just…I thought after the eagles and everything, you'd all be done poking fun at me. I thought I had proved myself enough, but I guess not."

Bofur threw her arm around the hobbit. "But you _have _proved yourself. You escaped the goblin tunnels all alone, and you saved Thorin's life. You're one of us now. And we all poke fun at each other. Why, Bombur gets teased more than any of us put together. And Kili is always getting herself into some stupid mess. We don't mean anything by it."

"Even Dwalin? I don't think she's ever trusted me."

"Well if you had stayed to hear the end of Dwalin's sentence, you would've heard her say that you've gotten a lot tougher since we set out."

Now Bonnie just felt ashamed. "How will I ever show my face in there again? I throw a stupid fit and it turns out you all really like me."

Bofur grinned and gave Bonnie a squeeze. "Oh, it'll be fine. Just chalk it up to a hobbit oddity. A hoddity, if you will."

"Clever." Bonnie rolled her eyes.

"Cheers. Anyway, dinner's just ended and Ursa's gone out for the night. The lads were boring her with all their talk of treasure so she left. But she warned us not to go outside until the sun is up, something about not being able to protect us. It was all very ominous, but I think she just means she might forget us as a bear and accidentally someone."

"Well, that's comforting," Bonnie squeaked as Bofur lead her back through the dining room and into another large hall. Beds had already been laid there, on a raised platform against the wall and under some windows. For her there was a little straw mattress and woolen blankets that she gladly snuggled into. Some of the other dwarves were already snoring, and Bonnie was happy she didn't have to face any of them just yet.


	4. Chapter 4

She drifted off to sleep, but was woken some time later. The fire was burning low, and the rest of the company was fast asleep, judging by the soft snoring. At first she wasn't sure why she had woke, until she heard a growling and scuffling noise from outside. It was as if some animal was trying to get in. Bonnie thought wildly of Ursa changing into her bear form, smelling all the tasty dwarves and trying to get in to kill them.

She squinted about the dark room, searching for Gandalf. Before she could find his large shape where he lay, she spotted Thorin who was lying faced towards her, with his back to the fire. She crept out from the woolen blankets and over to him, carefully stepping around Bifur and Bombur. "Thorin," Bonnie breathed, laying a hand on his arm.

He woke swiftly, almost hitting her as he sat up. "Bonnabell," he muttered as his eyes focused, "it's you."

"I didn't mean to alarm you, but I think there is something outside." She looked over her shoulder towards the wall. The scuffling and snuffling continued.

Thorin was quiet for a moment. "I'm sure it's just one of Ursa's great horses. Or perhaps a sheep. It's late, and you should be resting."

"But what if it's Ursa? What if she's forgotten us in her bear form and is trying to get in to eat all of us?"

He rolled his eyes. "I see you've been listening to Bofur. Sometimes I think she spouts even more nonsense than my niece and nephew. If it worries you so much, perhaps you should steal outside and have a look. I'm sure a great bear wouldn't notice such a small burglar." There was shadow of a smirk in his beard.

Bonnie sniffed. "I think I will," she said. She felt like she needed to prove herself after her behavior at dinner, so she stood up and quietly padded away. By the time she got to one of the great bolted doors, her knees were knocking together. She was confident that a bear wouldn't see her or even hear her, but it could certainly _smell _her.

Before she could lift the heavy latch on the door, a hand fell onto her shoulder. She spun around and bumped directly into Gandalf. He put a finger to his lips and said, "Don't be afraid, Bonnabell, but I think we might witness a great deal more than you bargained for." With a gleam in his eye, he opened the door.

To her dismay, there was not one but dozens of bears roaming out on the lawn. Large bears, small bears, ordinary bears, and gigantic bears. There were a few near the house, but most were around a huge bonfire, their great shapes flickering and dancing in the firelight. Bonnie's hand flew to her mouth, suppressing a gasp.

"A bear meeting," Gandalf said. "Ursa must have called them."

"But why are they here?" she whispered from behind her hand.

"It's difficult to say. I think she has called them to take care of our little Warg problem. There are few things Ursa hates more than goblins and their wargs." They both watched the bears for some time, until they all started moving away from the fire and into the darkness.

"Where are they going now?"

"I shall follow them," Gandalf said, walking out into the night. "I will be back by morning if all goes well. I think you can rest easy now, Bonnabell."

"Be careful," she whispered, though she was sure Gandalf could handle himself against bears. She latched the door and walked back to the sleeping dwarves. Thorin propped himself up on an elbow and beckoned to her.

"Gandalf has gone to follow them," she said before he could ask. "Ursa and the other bears. It looked like all the bears in the Misty Mountains, all dancing around a fire. He thinks they've gone off to kill the wargs, and…and the Pale Orc."

Thorin's face fell back into a scowl. "I can't believe I was such a fool," he muttered. "To think he was long dead. Of course he would find me out here. Somehow I don't think even a company of bears could defeat him, it would be too lucky. Luck hasn't been with my line since before my grandfather, it seems."

Bonnie didn't know what to say so she just laid a hand on his. He didn't acknowledge it except to stroke it with his thumb silently. Bonnie's eyes were drooping again now that the excitement of the night had died down and the bears had gone.

"But you should sleep," Thorin said, watching her. He pulled his hand away.

"So should you," she said sternly. "Those wounds aren't going to heal themselves without sleep, you know."

"Oh come, they've already mostly healed," he said. "Just scratches. I don't even need these infernal bandages anymore."

"Well, perhaps I should stay over here with you. Just…in case."

Thorin smiled. "Yes. In case any bears come back." He made room next to the fire, and she lay down. He tossed his blanket over her, and she felt like there was some force between them, something electric and palpable that made her want to press close to him. She rolled over to face the fire, trying to ignore it. To her surprise he put his arm round her waist and pulled her against him, sending her heart into her throat. She was certain he could feel it pounding. "Goodnight," he said in her ear, so quietly she almost didn't catch it, but she could feel the vibration of his voice deep in his chest. He kissed her neck very softly, his beard scratchy against her skin.

Bonnie lay wide-eyed for a long time, staring at the fire. She was longing for more to happen, but it seemed that Thorin was quite at ease where he was and had fallen asleep.

…

When Bonnie woke again much later, Thorin had gone. It was full morning, and Bofur was waking her. "Get up, lazybones," she said, "or there'll be no breakfast for you."

She jumped up. "Breakfast? Where is breakfast?"

"Mostly inside us," called the other dwarves who were moving about through the hall. "But the rest is out on the verandah."

"We've been looking for Ursa all morning, but she's nowhere to be found," Bofur said, accompanying Bonnie to the verandah. "Neither is Gandalf." They both sat down on the large wooden bench. In front of it was a low table set with large platters of food, mostly gone.

Bonnie loaded up her plate with what was left of the pastries and marmalade and said, "Perhaps she is still a bear and forgot where she lived, and now Gandalf has to find her and bring her back." For some reason, she didn't think she should tell the others about the bear meeting she had witnessed.

Fili sniggered. "Well, hopefully neither of them maul each other on accident, we need to know the way through the forest."

Thorin appeared from the hall, clapping a hand on Fili's shoulder threateningly. "I know the way through the forest," he said, his face back in its usual scowl. "Although Ursa had mentioned a different way she thinks is better, and I'm sure Gandalf is more inclined to trust her."

"So we're going _through _the forest?" Bonnie said, alarmed. Even in the Shire she had heard things about Mirkwood, and none of them good.

"There's no faster way," Thorin said. "And I can't risk us arriving late to the mountain."

"So here you are all still!" a thundering voice interrupted. Ursa herself strode into view. She clapped a huge hand on Bonnie's shoulder, causing her knees to buckle. "Not eaten by wargs or goblins yet, I see!" She poked Bonnie's stomach most disrespectfully and chortled, "Little bunny getting fat on bread and honey!" Bonnie shrank away, scowling.

"You are most jolly this morning," Balin said merrily, sipping tea from his seat across the table.

"Indeed, and I shall tell you why, master dwarf," she said, sitting at the low table herself. "I've been over the river and back up into the mountains. I found the burnt glade from your tale, and a good deal more than that. I caught a warg and his rider. I forced some news from him, and it seems there are still goblins sending patrols to look for you. And I have a guess that there is yet more wickedness than this afoot. Soon a great raid may come down to find you, or take vengeance on the men and creatures that live here. I have hurried home as fast as I could to see that you were safe, and offer you any help that I can."

"What did you do with the goblin and the warg you found?" asked Bonnie suddenly.

"Come and see!" she said, and she took them around the house. A goblin's head was stuck outside the gate and a warg-skin was nailed to a tree just beyond. Ursa was a fierce enemy indeed, Bonnie thought, turning her eyes away.

Once Gandalf returned, he thought it wise to tell Ursa their entire story and their purpose. Here she became grave and her face darkened. She promised ponies for each of them for their journey through the forest, and food to last for weeks. She told them of the streams and springs that ran alongside the road. "But the way through Mirkwood is dark and dangerous," she said. "Water is not easy to find there, but I will provide you with skins for carrying it. I have also some bows and arrows to hunt with, but I doubt you'll find anything wholesome in there to eat. There is one stream, I know, that is black and strong and crosses your path. You should neither drink nor bathe in it, for I have heard it carries enchantment and drowsiness and forgetfulness. And you _must not_ stray from the path, whatever you do.

"That is all the advice I can give you. You must depend on your own luck and courage and the food I send with you. At the gate of the forest I must ask you to send back my ponies. But I wish you all speed, and my house is always open if you come back this way again."


	5. Chapter 5

After that Bonnie's spirits were low. She felt the adventure was getting far more dangerous, even after their encounter with the goblins. After the terror she had felt, and the creeping nervousness of being hunted, she was sure she wouldn't be ready to go into Mirkwood. And even once they passed through that road, there was still a dragon waiting at the end.

She threw herself into packing to take her mind off things. There was much food to pack, and getting the ponies ready. The dwarves were grave as well, even Fili and Kili. Finally after midday they bid Ursa many farewells and rode off through the gate.

As soon as they left her lands they turned northwest, aiming for a little-known pathway through Mirkwood that led almost straight to the Lonely Mountain. Ursa had bidden them to ride fast, for although goblins weren't likely to cross near her territory, they would soon be at the edge of the forest ready to cut them off. They galloped in silence wherever the ground was smooth and grassy, with the mountains dark on their left. The line of trees was growing ever nearer, and they road into the evening.

Once they were far enough, the thought of goblins receded in their minds and they found it easy to talk again. "Gimli would be so angry if he knew what he was missing out on," Fili was saying to Kili as they rode. Bonnie was beside Kili, on a slightly shorter pony. "Just wait until we tell him about those wargs."

Kili grinned. "He'll probably make some boast about how many he could have cleaved with his axe while we were hiding in the trees," she said, rolling her eyes. "That's our far cousin, back in Ered Luin. Gloin's son. He's a bit younger, and was so angry when he was told to stay behind. But I suppose our uncle wanted someone the family line to stay, just in case," she said to Bonnie.

"We have the best stories with him," Fili said. "D'you remember when we stayed up late telling him stories about dragons?"

"And then a sheep walked by in the dark and he was so scared, he hacked it to pieces?" Kili laughed. "We were such stupid children." She didn't notice Bonnie's horrified expression.

"Or the time he got so drunk that he looked up the dress of one of the elven traders? She beat him so soundly he had two black eyes, and then couldn't remember how he got them the next day!" Fili guffawed. "And then when Gloin found out he had been looking up an elf's dress _he _beat him as well!"

They were both practically crying with laughter, but Bonnie just felt mildly sick. Once they had subsided, Fili nudged her with an elbow. "Go on then, we want to hear about the Shire," she said. "You must have _some _interesting stories."

Bonnie sighed. "Well, nothing quite like that I'm afraid. Although, there is one story –" she giggled, "I was a little younger, and a few of the lads were trying to impress my friend and me by stealing some of Famer Cotton's prized squash. Well, he set his dogs on them, and one of the lads was so scared that he wet himself running away!"

Fili and Kili both stared at her expectantly. "And the dogs, did they get him?" Fili asked. "You know, break any bones or anything?"

"No," Bonnie said hesitantly, her smile fading. "The farmer called them off once they got close. He never _really _lets them hurt anyone from town, that would be awful."

After a minute of awkward silence, Kili said, "Well, Bonnie, it seems we have to teach you about how to have a _really _fun time."

"Speaking of teaching her things, would one of you teach little Miss how to braid?" Bofur said, coming up behind them. "Your hair's going to get in the way soon, Bonnabell, and you won't want it snagging on trees once we reach the forest."

She reached up to her curls defensively. They _were _getting long, she had to admit. And her hair had never been long enough to braid, so she never learned how. It had always looked foolish on dwarves that passed through, as though their hair was made of ropes that they were knotting together.

"That's a good idea, Bofur," Kili said seriously. "You're practically a dwarf now, and it's shameful for a dwarf to have no braids."

"But Kili, you have no braids," Bonnie pointed out.

"I do so," she said indignantly, turning her head to show one single braid down the back of her hair.

"You could always use more," Fili said, smirking. He had one braid down the back, two on the sides, and two little braids in his moustache.

So when they set up camp for the night, the siblings and Bonnie agreed to take a night watch together. Bonnie was sure she wouldn't have gotten much sleep as it was, with the creeping fear of wolf howls and goblins in the back of her mind. They all sat facing outwards into the dark, just out of the firelight. Bonnie sat in front of Kili and let her braid her curls.

"I've never braided hair as curly as yours, Miss Bonnie, but I will try my best," she said. "It's likely to be very short indeed."

"As long as it's out of my face," Bonnie said, staring into the darkness. "Are you afraid of how this journey will end?" she asked suddenly.

Fili and Kili exchanged a glance. "No," Fili said fiercely. "If we win, we will have regained our kingdom. If we lose, we will have fought valiantly and brought honor to our names."

"Although the linen of Durin already has quite a lot of honor in it," Kili added.

"Hobbits don't both much with honor and battles," Bonnie muttered. For the last few days she felt like she was fighting to quell panic, and at any moment she was going to turn her pony around and go home. Her throat tightened. "If I got eaten by a dragon, all they would say back home is that I was a damned fool for travelling all that way and willingly going into danger. They'd say I was cracked, and that I would have done better to stay at home and get married. And if I do return...Well, they would probably say the same things."

"It sounds like your hobbit friends need to learn some manners," Kili said angrily. Bonnie smiled darkly. A dwarf, talking about manners?

"You would return home with the wealth of a king," Fili said. "You could buy the whole Shire with your cut of the treasure. They should be honored just to hear your tales. If you – if you return home and are shamed by your kin, you just send us word with a raven. If I have to, I'll ride back to the Shire myself and give them a piece of my mind."

Bonnie relaxed a little and smiled at them both. "You are such lovely friends," she said. "You know, I've never had any friends as loyal as you back in the Shire, in my whole life. And if…well, if anything bad happens, I shall stay by your sides until the very end." Kili pulled her into a tight hug from behind, and Fili smiled and went back to watching the darkness.


End file.
